Union Minister Patel Dismisses Coal Scam Charge By Ex-MP Oppn Leader Ajay Singh, Says Issued Him Notice

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Union minister and BJP candidate for upcoming Madhya Pradesh assembly polls Prahlad Patel on Saturday said a notice has been served to former opposition leader in the state, Ajay Singh, for allegedly dragging his name in the coal scam.

Patel is in the fray from Narsinghpur assembly segment.

"Ajay Singh went there (Narsinghpur constituency) and said the coal scam (2005-2009) happened when I was Union coal minister and that I was involved in it," Patel, who is the Minister of State for Food Processing Industries and Jal Shakti, told reporters here.

Patel said his younger brother (former MP minister and MLA) Jalam Singh has served a notice to Singh.

Besides Patel,BJP has fielded two more Union ministers

Besides Patel, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded two more Union ministers namely Narendra Singh Tomar and Faggan Singh Kulaste and four more MPs in the assembly polls, due in November this year. The party has fielded its national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya from the Indore 1 constituency.

"The coal scam took place from 2005 to 2009 and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report came out in 2012. I was not even an MP at that time, leave aside being a minister," Patel said.

He said no one has ever pointed a finger at him or his family members over financial irregularities.

"I think politics should be based on values and principles and not on false accusations," Patel added.